The present invention is directed, but not limited to, compositions which affect digestion in the gastrointestinal system and which have antioxidative effects, and more particularly which unexpectedly enhance lipid, protein, and carbohydrate metabolism in the gastrointestinal tract and unexpectedly enhance the effects of other antioxidants.
The stomach, pancreas, liver, gallbladder and small intestine are all involved in various roles concerning the process of digestion and assimilation, fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism, the stabilization of blood sugar, and the storage of body fats. These processes are principally regulated by four interrelating digestive hormones, and two endocrine hormones. The four digestive hormones include gastrin, secretin, cholecystokinin and enterogastrone. The two counterbalancing endocrine hormones, which profoundly effect blood sugar and fat storage, are insulin and glucagon, both of which are from the pancreas and are directly stimulated by the gastric hormones that are enhanced by the composition of the present invention.
Gastrin is released by the stomach lining in response to the presence of food and stimulates the production of gastric juices. It is the primary regulator of digestion and the digestion sequence. Also, gastrin causes the esophageal sphincter to contract reducing the gastroesophageal reflux or heartburn. Gastrin also stimulates secretin release from the duodenum. The metabolic effects of gastrin is that it strongly stimulates release of insulin and weakly stimulates glucagon secretion.
The acidic chyme from the stomach stimulates release of secretin as it enters the duodenum. The secretin signals the release of bicarbonate which neutralizes stomach acid as it enters the intestinal environment. Glucagon has a sequence of 14 amino acids in common with secretin, a 27-amino acid oligopeptide. These two substances share many similar properties in their metabolic effects. Both help stimulate release of insulin (insulin counteracts glucagon). Both enhance lipolysis from adipose tissue by the stimulation of the enzyme, adenyl-cyclase. Secretin is actually stronger than glucagon in this effect. Glucagon raises blood sugar, secretin does not, and insulin lowers blood sugar.
A third crucial hormone produced by the duodenum is cholecystokinin (CCK). CCK causes the gallbladder to contract and release bile into the small intestines. Bile helps in the emulsification and absorption of fats and lipids. CCK also triggers the release of pancreatic enzymes, which break down proteins, lipids and carbohydrates in the small intestine. Most investigators agree that CCK is linked in its effects to the hypothalamus and related to appetite regulation and feelings of satiety.
If the chyme leaving the stomach is particularly rich in fats, the duodenum releases enterogastrone, which inhibits the peristalsis in the stomach, thereby slowing down the entry of food into the small intestines.
Atherosclerosis is a condition wherein the walls of the arteries are damaged and narrowed by deposits of plaque (cholesterol and other fatty substances, calcium, fibrin, and cellular wastes), eventually blocking off the flow of blood. Plaque deposits can result in bleeding (hemorrhage) or formation of a blood clot (thrombus). When hemorrhage or thrombus blocks the flow of blood through the entire artery, the heart attack or a stroke occurs. High blood levels of cholesterol, particularly the cholesterol carried by low density lipoprotein (LDL) are associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis.
Normal LDL in plasma is not oxidized. Oxidation of LDL cholesterol is believed to contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease in general.
Dietary supplements of antioxidants such as Vitamin E are thought by many to reduce oxidation of LDL.
An objective of the present invention therefore is to improve control of the appetite and function of the gastrointestinal system and further to provide antioxidant effects.